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Message: <blockquote data-quote="SolidSnake" data-source="post: 126563" data-attributes="member: 102">Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, Session 9- Death of a Hero  (or “How many times were we one roll from getting wiped out?”)With the rumblings and tremors from the destruction of the Earth Temple’s ziggurat still echoing in their ears, the party found themselves looking on the rancid carcass of a dead, partially eaten dire ape.  Bandar and Lathander both remembered the thunderous blows they suffered from the dire ape in the Temple of Elemental Evil, and both involuntarily shuddered.  Bandar asked Lathander, in typically blunt tones,“What the &*%$ eats a Dire Ape?  Do we want to know?”Upon closer examination, Strider announced that the monster was cut down by weapons and eaten by creatures smaller than itself – probably killed by troglodytes.  At least there isn’t something wandering around that can kill and eat a dire ape on its own Bandar thought, somewhat relieved.The party proceeded into the darkness ahead, guided by a sunrod Lathander activated.  They soon found themselves in a large cavern with several exits.  All that was in the cavern were various rusty tools and a large chain coiled on the ground.  Without going far into the area, Strider heard breathing and rustling down the passage to the party’s right.  Within moments, the sound turned into the howling and roaring of charging beasts, though the group could see little from their light except shadows flickering on the wall.  Suddenly, four rampaging dire apes came into view, hurtling toward the Band.As Strider called on the group to fall back to a more narrow area of the passage to better face the enemy, Sentian stepped forward, sword drawn, to intercept the beasts.  Strider changed plans and joined his fellow warrior, steeling against the furious charge.  Normal men would have fled immediately in panic, but these two veterans stood fast and prepared for the onslaught.The dire apes collided violently with the party’s stout front line, and there was a blur of fur and glistening steel, accompanied by howls of pain.  The massive beasts had tried to overrun the warriors, but the skilled swordsmen had taken advantage of the apes’ exposed flanks to cut two down before they could get by.  One ape did barrel through, and the last one hit Sentian with its huge fist, but he shook off the blow.  Lathander threw down the sunrod and drew his mace to engage the dire ape that got by, while Bandar attacked the beasts with mental energy and Elias fired on them with his bow.  As the two sides battled, an earth-shattering roar stopped them all in their tracks.  With sinking hearts, the party realized that they would soon face an even greater foe.  The dire ape that got by Sentian and Strider punched and bit Lathander.  The priest’s Shield Other spell cast on Sentian brought him more suffering as the paladin was hit repeatedly by the other dire ape.  The group was already worse for wear when the source of the last roar showed itself.  Everyone gulped as they looked on an ape that made the dire apes look small!  This hulking monstrosity towered twelve feet tall, and easily reached over Sentian’s opponent to pummel the paladin badly with its terrifying fists.  Bandar ran near the melee to be able to see and attack the newest monster, suffering a powerful blow as Lathander’s ape pounded his exposed side.  The psion could now see the huge dire ape, but his Concussion power was of little use against such a large beast.  Lathander stepped back and cast Prayer while Elias and Strider finished off the dire ape that had faced the priest.Sentian stood alone against the last two enemies.  He could sense that he would not win alone in melee, but he would do as much damage as he could before his time ran out.  The noble warrior ignored the dire ape in front of him, which looked small in comparison to the massive dire ape behind it.  Sentian managed a few deep cuts into the larger monster before it hammered him with its fists, grabbed his arms and nearly ripped him apart.  The paladin would have been in two pieces had Lathander’s spell not transferred some of the agony to the wounded priest.  Both men fell with a cry, leaving only three adventurers standing.The party had relied on Lathander’s powerful spells and healing, and Sentian’s expert swordplay.  Strider saw how ineffectual Bandar’s psionic attacks had been, barely singeing the hair on the massive silverback, and Elias’ Magic Missile spells had the same minor effect.  Knowing that he alone could nothold back the two apes from ripping apart his other two friends, Strider resolved to buy them time.  With a furious cry, the party’s leader threw himself at the enemy and dealt the foremost dire ape a flurry of hefty blows before the two monsters responded in kind.  The dire ape pummeled and bit him, then the hulking monster behind did even worse, leaving Strider reeling [*&^% special rend attack!]  Understanding their desperate straits, Elias and Bandar used the time Strider provided to do what they could.  Bandar’s mental attacks continued to be ineffective, despite his numerous occasions to do significant damage.  He desperately continued, using all the energy he had with a fury, trying to save Strider and the party, but the ape’s shrugged off his attacks.  Elias stabilized Sentian with a healing potion, ensuring that the paladin would not die.  Unfortunately, to heal the fallen warrior, the elf came within the big dire apes’ reach, and the beast made him pay for his altruism.  Elias was pounded into unconsciousness without being able to revive Sentian.  Only Bandar and Strider remained standing. Strider continued to take abuse from the two apes, but managed to absorb the blows and deal some of his own.  He had faced equal pain in fighting the howler and its mount, and the dragon back at the moathouse, but both times he had healing to soften the worst hits. The noble warrior hoped against hope that Bandar might somehow help his desperate cause with mental assaults.  Strider knew he could not survive the next onslaught, and in his mind bid a sad goodbye to his companions.  He finished the dire ape in front of him with an expert thrust of his blade and dug his dagger deep into the chest of the last and biggest ape.  With a brutish fury, the monstrosity grabbed brave Strider by the arms and pulled to the sides with its terrifying might.  The party’s long time leader gave his last cry and fell silent, to Bandar’s horror and dismay.  Strider was dead.Alone, Bandar faced a massive dire ape, with little mental power left, surrounded by unconscious, dead, or dying friends.  The party risked annihilation.  Giving up for now on psionics after many frustrating failed attempts, the desperate Bandar grabbed a potion from Elias’ belt and gave it to Lathander, reviving the priest but putting the dwarf in harms’ way.  Lathander stood up and summed up the group’s dire straits grimly, and knocked the huge monster back with a scorching Searing Light spell.  The beast pounded Bandar and tried to rip him asunder, as it had with Sentien, Elias, and Strider.  Miraculously, the tough dwarf survived the attack, though just barely – the massive foe was clearly weakening.  The pain distracted the adventurer from his psionic attack.  Bandar was buying Lathander time, as Sentien and Strider had done for him.  Lathander used the opportunity well and crept forward to heal Sentian back to life.  The paladin opened his eyes to see the last ape looming tall over him.  With characteristic bravery, Sentian leapt to his feet and dealt the monster two grievous blows.  Now it was the beast’s turn to reel from the onslaught, and its counterattacks that could have killed them all, were ineffective [the DM rolled three 1’s for attacks!!!].  Surprised at their good fortune, the Band pressed their advantage.  Bandar used his psionic power to make the ground quake and knock both Sentian and the ape off their feet.  The paladin recovered his footing quickly and cut the prone foe repeatedly with his sword.  Lathander healed the warrior, further providing him strength.  Just as the beast was coming to its feet and managed to punch Sentian again, Bandar let loose another quaking Stomp.  Sentien learned quickly and jumped as the ground shook, but the huge monster fell over again.  With a tremendous chop, the paladin beheaded the terrible foe that had very nearly killed them all on several occasions.The end of the battle allowed the bedraggled Band of the Rising Sun to breathe easier and heal, reviving Elias.  Nobody spoke.  They could not avoid looking at Strider’s torn and bleeding corpse.  Bandar had known Strider since the battles of Khundukar, the man who had been his leader during the entire quest against the Temple, since that first day arriving in Hommlet.  Overwhelmed by the loss of his friend, the man he would have followed to hell and back (and nearly did), the stoic dwarf broke down and wept.</blockquote>

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